The men and women’s wave double elimination have nearly been completed today, as both ladders were run down to the semifinals this afternoon before the waves dropped. Unfortunately, the waves refused to play ball any longer and did not return. This means Kauli Seadi (BRA-253, Quatro/Naish) takes his first wave title here in Pozo, Gran Canaria, before Nik Baker (K-66, Mistral/North) and Ricardo Campello (V-111, JP/Neil Pryde) who takes third. Daida Moreno (E-64, Mistral/North) takes the women’s wave crown, with her sister Iballa Moreno (E-63, Mistral/North) coming in second and Karin Jaggi (Z-14, F2) in third place.

The final day of competition commenced with the men and women’s freestyle double elimination. The men started off with heat # 62 ; Antxon Otaegui (E-169, JP/Neil Pryde) vs Jose Estredo (V-01, Fanatic/North) and Victor Fernandez (E-42, Fanatic) vs Marcilio Browne (BRA-105, Naish/Naish). Estredo was on a role today and knocked out Otaegui, while Fernandez stopped Browne, who managed to win his last two heats yesterday without falling in once. In the next heat Estredo faced Kauli Seadi (BRA-253, Quatro/Naish), but the Venezuelan would not be contained, even by Seadi and knocked out the Brazilian. It was smooth sailing for Fernandez, who advanced to the next heat by beating Nick Warmuth (US-36, Starboard/Gaastra). Estredo was finally put to a stop by Fernandez in the next round as Fernandez went through to meet single elimination runner up Anthony Ruenes (F-85, Tabou/Gaastra) in the double elimination semifinal. But Fernandez had clearly set his sights on the final and pulled out all the stops to out sail the sixteen-year-old Frenchman. Ruenes didn’t go down easy, going for a huge shaka and sticking several high end moves, but Fernandez nailed it and went on to face single elimination winner and reigning freestyle champion Ricardo Campello (V-111, JP/Neil Pryde) in the final.

As the crowds gathered on the beach of Pozo Izquierdo, the Spanish home advantage boosted Fernandez’ sailing to the next level. With a seemingly endless array of radical moves including ponchs in and out, a puneta, shaka, shove it, flaka and a backloop the Spaniard was simply too much to handle for Campello, who was missing out on more moves than the world has grown accustomed to. Therefore, the double elimination was to be decided in a re-sail of the final. This time Campello was right on top of things, opening up with a powerful shaka going out, only just not landing it. The Brazilian went through the entire repertoire doing spocks, gozadas, flakas, ponchs and an impressive funnel 900. Fernandez put in original moves like switch backloops, high wymaroos and a high-speed shaka coming in. But Campello wasn’t making any mistakes and finished up with a switch chacho 540 and a perfect shaka, taking the final of the double elimination and thereby the Gran Canaria PWA Grand Slam 2005 freestyle title.

In the first women’s freestyle heat of the day Junko Nagoshi (J-11) knocked out Ania Ostrowska (POL-00, Fanatic) and Uli Hölzl (AUT-123, F2/Neil Pryde) eliminated Yolanda Freites de Brendt (V-26, Fanatic/North). In the following heat, Nagoshi was up against Karin Jaggi (Z-14, F2) and Hölzl faced Silvia Alba (E-67, Tabou/Gaastra). Jaggi made her trademark big shove it to take out Nagoshi and Alba advanced to the quarter final at the expense of Hölzl. Next heat up, Jaggi vs Alba. Both ladies were charging hard, doing forwards coming in and going out and going for spocks, but Jaggi was more consistent in her moves and went through to the next round, where Iballa Moreno (E-63, Mistral/North) was waiting. Moreno went ballistic with a sensational air chacho, crashing hard but scoring big point for the radical attempt. Meanwhile Jaggi stuck a big shove it and two spocks giving her the edge over Moreno and advancing to the final against wave single elimination winner Daida Moreno (E-64, Mistral/North).

The women’s freestyle round two double elimination final was another Jaggi-Moreno showdown. Jaggi put up a radical performance, opening with a forward going out and an aggressive shove it. Moreno did her part with forwards and a big backloop and muscling her way through a flaka. Jaggi stuck a spock on the inside and went for the backloop, but couldn’t keep it together on the landing. Moreno demonstrated she knows these waters like the back of her hand and went for a radical ponch coming in, nearly making it through. The decision was a close one, but Daida Moreno did it again, taking the second double and the overall Gran Canaria PWA Grand Slam 2005 freestyle title.

Although the wave double elimination was not completed, the men and women gave a spectacular show while the waves were up. Both the men and women made it to the semifinal stage ; Ricardo Campello (V-111, JP/Neil Pryde) vs Nik Baker (K-66, Mistral/North) and Iballa Moreno (E-63, Mistral/North) vs Karin Jaggi (Z-14, F2). In the prelude to the semi’s that unfortunately were never sailed, it was raining big double forwards in the men’s contest with Vidar Jensen (N-44, North) taking the grand prize for most fearless (or perhaps crazy is the more appropriate term) rider of the day with two one handed double forwards. Other wave highlights were Robby Swift’s (K-89, JP/Neil Pryde) mid double forward bail out (landing a perfect double afterwards), Kevin Pritchard’s (US-3, Starboard/MauiSails) one footed one handed backloop, Josh Angulo’s (US-11) backside 360, Bjorn Dunkerbeck’s (E-11, North) front side 360 and Karin Jaggi’s (Z-14, F2) massive forward.

After the highly successful Gran Canaria PWA Grand Slam 2005 event, the PWA is now moving to Lanzarote for the final freestyle and Super X event of the year. Will Super X leader Matt Pritchard (US-10, Tabou/Gaastra) be able to take the title ? And can Ricardo Campello (V-111, JP/Neil Pryde) and Daida Moreno (E-64, Mistral/North) fight off their pursuers in the freestyle division ? from Saturday the 9th of July to find out, as the world’s best freestylers and Super X racers go head to head in Lanzarote.

PWA/Axel van Weel